There are several possible causes of urinary tract infections in cats–they can be bacterial, fungal, parasitic and possibly viral. However, it is estimated that about 50% are Ideopathic – meaning the cause is not known.

There are some similarities with this condition and a similar condition in humans called Interstitial Cystitis….most commonly traced back to a stressful event.

Blood is one of the reagents on a standard urine dip stick test. And the range goes from negative through small, moderate and on to large.

However, any degree of blood in the urine is considered abnormal and should be further investigated by a veterinarian. The most common cause is a urinary tract infection which often responds quickly to treatment. Catching the condition in the early stages is critical, however.

Other causes of blood in the urine of your dog or cat can be due to the presence of a tumor, a perforation or even just a tough blade of grass that was eaten and scratched the lining of the digestive system.

There are many possible causes of urinary tract infections in dogs and cats, and growing evidence that one may be stress.

I have seen evidence of this with my cat Chloe. She is a sensitive cat and has been through several health challenges in her life. When I am away for any length of time, I seem to come back home and within a few days discover that she has a urinary tract infection.

I have been seeing more stories about adoption of rescue dogs making the news lately…tv, online etc….it’s wonderful to see. I hope it continues and grows.

Went onto the People.com website at lunch today and there were 2 stories!One was about Robert Pattinson and his rescue dog. The other a sad story about a family who brought a puppy to the states after their son was killed in Iraq.

Switching the dry cat food for canned has made such a difference in Chloe’s fur. It used to be kind of heavy and almost yellowish in places (she is a white cat). If I thought it would be possible, I often wanted to give her a bath.

Now that she has been on canned food though, there is such a change in the condition of her fur. It is really white and fluffy! She has really experienced some great changes with the new diet.

In September, when ThePetCheckup test showed Chloe was spilling moderate levels of Glucose into her urine, I brought her to the vet for further testing. Sure enough, her glucose level was pretty high – 402. We decided to treat her by diet and over 10 days both Chloe and Kate transitioned to a high protein, low carb canned food.

Yesterday, Chloe was retested and her glucose level is in the normal range. I’m so proud of the little peanut! Our vet said to keep using ThePetCheckup to test her urine, and if it creeps up out of the negative range again, I’ll bring her in for a blood test.

I’m also relieved that both Chloe and Kate are on canned food diets and how smoothly they adjusted. Next I’ll be checking into homemade diets and other possibilities while still keeping the protein/carbs ratio in line with diabetes.

I always read Ace Bourke’s blog as it is so well thought out and put together. The amazing photographs are inspiring and help to temper the always heavy news about the current state of the environment and wildlife. It’s a wonderful combination of heart and mind. www.acebourke.wordpress.com

Ace just listed a new link to a youtube video that was recently posted about Christian the Lion. It’s a remix of video we’ve seen before and some new video as well. 14 minutes long. Very sweet and powerful.